My Heroic Tales from Another World!
by Misihunism
Summary: You know the story from their academy, but what if they lived in a world that relies on magic and charms instead of quirks, and even teenagers can leave home to go on adventures to face evil? Being a village boy won't stop the grand ambition of Midoriya to become someone greater than anyone could ever have expected or imagined! Based on the second ending to Season 2 of the anime.
1. This Is Your Sword

Hey guys, this is a fanfiction based on the artwork done by the author for a popularity roll and also the second ending credit to the anime's second season! Blending fantasy elements that we already know of, hopefully you guys can enjoy this AU!

* * *

"Izuku! Can you get the laundry hung out?"

"On it, mum!"

The green haired boy picked up the basket by the side of the door and strapped it against his back. He hiked a good ten minutes up the hill and set the basket down by the sole tree in the vicinity. He sat under the shade and looked out into the distance.

The day seemed only to be getting better. The sun was hanging up with only a few blushes of clouds disguising the blue in the sky. His long messy hair waved along with the breeze and he could feel the light warming his skin.

Izuku Midoriya, 14, is your typical village boy from the northside of the village, who spends most of his days doing chores and running errands to support the family. Nothing seems to be awfully complicated to the child – his life ought to be exactly what it has been for the past decade, just tedious chores that defined his life.

However, just like all village children around his age, he dreams. Thought you might say that he dreams a little too often, and whenever it is the most inappropriate time. He dreamed of leaving the village behind; he dreamed of becoming a sorcerer; he dreamed of discovering a forgotten artifact that would grant him the power of the heroes.

Usually, he would snap his fingers and come back to the land of reality and get on with his chores. But there was something about today that had him mesmerised. Maybe it was because of the brilliant weather, or the gentle calming whispers of the grass. Slowly, he could feel himself drawn to a nap.

Just as he laid on his side and watched the shadow of the mighty tree shift, a few shadows came into his view. He could tell from the robed figure that Uraraka had come along, and without a doubt, the strikingly tall shadow must belong to Iida. A smiled crawled onto Midoriya's freckled cheeks and he pulled himself up.

"Hey guys, what's happening?"

Uraraka waved the staff in her hand first and tapped it against a small rock. Just before Midoriya would open his mouth, Uraraka pressed her finger against her lips. She quickly chanted and the rock levitated gently above the ground. As her grip tightened around the staff, the rock lifted even higher into the air and it flew swiftly around Uraraka. It lost life the moment she reopened her eyes, and it landed a metre away from where it came from.

"Did you see it? Did it work? It flew, right?" The girl's arms swung dramatically around her small body. Midoriya observed the girl as she enthusiastically retold her entire lesson with the village sorcerer today. She was nowhere near being the tallest of the girls in the village, nor was she the prettiest, having spent no effort in dressing herself up. It was often that she would have her face coated with dust from the failed experiments, but she bloomed with natural beauty that no one could mimic.

Midoriya always found comfort with her around; the smile she bore would ease him from his stress and it would reassure him of her support. "It is amazing." Uraraka smiled softly, admittedly caught unaware by the compliment.

 _Ah, there is the smile_.

"What about you, Iida? Did your brothers give you lessons again in those armours?" Midoriya cautiously pointed to the silvery metal that cladded Iida's body loosely.

Iida nodded and grandiosely unsheathed his sword from his side. He mockingly swung the sword around and cut the air in front of him. With each day passing, the boy slowly earned his role as a knight. However, Midoriya would never be able to take him seriously, so long as he still had to use a wooden sword instead of a real one.

"When are they going to let you have a real sword?" Uraraka teased and poked at him with her staff.

Iida, adjusting his glasses, tried to hide the faint redness on his cheeks, "Um… They don't want to have to rush finding a sword for me until I am ready… They say my first sword will have to be the best." He covered his excuses with dry coughs.

An idea clicked in Midoriya's head and he turned to the duo, "Hey, you guys want to help me with the chores so we can go out to the streams?"

* * *

Uraraka took the lead and tiptoed across the running waters. The boys followed onward with due caution – mainly because Midoriya had gotten increasingly fearful of the rattling armour that sat uncomfortably on Iida.

They stopped not too far away from an abandoned mine, and if you looked further down where the stream led, you could see the neighbouring village. The three of them took time to take off and dry their drenched footwears.

"Do you think they will hold another celebration this year for the Moon Festival?"

"I don't see why not; the merchants cut across towns to get to us each year for a good reason…" Something was caught in Midoriya's throat when he saw Uraraka rolling up the end of her robe passed her knees. He wasn't expecting to see such a tender moment and he managed to turn away his head before Uraraka's eyes would meet his.

"Wait," Iida's voice suddenly dropped and he quickly waved at the two, "someone is here."

Iida was right, and for once he wished he wasn't. What he heard was the chattering between thieves and bandits, who happened to be crossing the streams as well.

Something inexplicable in Iida busted open and Iida grabbed the two by their waists and dashed towards the dark entrance to the mines. By the time he deemed it safe to release the two, all three of them held their breath and panic seized their minds.

Stuttering in fear, Midoriya whispered, "I think they are coming closer."

Sure enough, they were. In his mad dash for safety, Iida forgot about the footwears that they had left behind. Sitting in plain sight were their boots and the bandits did not miss them. They all unsheathed their weapons and they glared across the area. Midoriya could almost hear the bloodthirst, emulating the hissing of snakes. With each step taken closer to them, the trio took a step back.

Unexpectedly, Uraraka's staff hit the side of the cave and let out a faint echo; faint, but still heard. The band of thieves grouped together and began marching towards the mouth of the cave. The three, in unison, threw all caution out the window and they madly ran deeper into the bowels of the cave.

None of them knew how long they ran for, neither did they want to stop to discuss. They could only hear each other's panting and that was enough to motivate each other to keep going.

Midoriya noticed that Uraraka's panting became heavier as they dwelled deeper. His lips parted and he wanted to convince them and himself that the bandits would not be catching up, but his eyes caught Uraraka's.

The poor girl was tearing up, the corner of her eyes red and her lips purple. Yet, she kept running. She stared right back at Midoriya, her eyes deep with conviction. They were almost screaming at Midoriya not to stop.

Inevitably, they came to an end, a large cavern inside, decorated by rails and forgotten railcars. Disbelief remained in their breaths as they struggled for air. Sweat followed the outline of their faces.

Midoriya knew that no one wanted to ask the question, but someone had to. "What do we do now?"

"I could try to fight them." Iida gripped the handle of his wooden sword tightly.

"It's a wooden sword, Iida…"

"Then what do you want us to do! Stay here and wait for the bandits to overrun us?" His voice shook and it returned as a ghostly echo. His teeth grinded on teeth and Midoriya could see the vein running up his fist.

"Maybe I can hurl rocks at them… Fast enough… Right at the softer parts…"

"What if we set up traps?"

"We could try to hide inside one of the cars?"

The two continued to debate between methods. Neither of them were listening to one another, and they yelled over one another as Midoriya's hands trembled uncontrollably.

He sat down away from the two; he assumed that the thieves had decided to slowly approach them, otherwise they would have caught to them a long time ago. His eyes dashed around the cave, trying to find things that could help them. Thankfully, even after the abandonment, the caves were still lit with gaslight. He could see every crack and corner around him.

Sounds of laughter suddenly swirled into the cave. It was as if they were convinced that they had already won the hunt and were about to collect their bounty.

The three of them fell silent and they backed slowly towards the walls. The gas lamps casted the bandits' shadows against the wall and grossly distorted them. It almost felt like fiends from the underworld were being released onto them. You could make out the hissing tongues and the bent backs, brandishing their knives.

Trembling, Midoriya searched for answers and turned to find a sword trapped deep into a stone. He could almost hear a faint whisper of some kind that drew him closer to the weapon. Thinking that their last chance would be giving Iida a proper sword to fight, he pulled at the sword as the flame spitting devils arrived.

They were a terrible sight, each of them manifested the evil within them. Grossly covered by blood-soaked bandages, they approached closer, eyes darting between the three little preys.

Midoriya clenched his teeth and kept pulling, his mind almost going blank as he exerted all of his strength. In his final moments of consciousness, his mind cleared and the sword loosened. The last thing he could remember would be the bright flash of light, and a warming figure that enveloped him…

* * *

He wouldn't come around until a few more days, but by the time he did, Midoriya found a lot more attention than he ever had. Around his bed, villagers that he had never met before sat and they shared quiet chatters between themselves.

Shaken to see so many pairs of eyes on him, Midoriya swallowed his nervousness and jerked his head around for exposition. Thankfully, Uraraka was just beside him, wearing her more casual clothes today, holding a wet towel. She smiled weakly and dabbed his head with the cold towel.

"You have been asleep for a few days."

"What happened?" Midoriya tried to sit up, but the moment he pressed against the bed, he could feel excruciating pain shooting up his arms. He lifted his hands up to find them heavily bandaged.

Uraraka lightly held his right hands and explained, "You pulled out a sword and something impossible happened… A light giant of some sort appeared and split the cave apart. Iida and I were both knocked out by the falling rubbles. But the villagers said they found you unconscious by us, with massive amounts of blood coming out from your arms."

Before they could continue the conversation, the village elder entered the room. Her presence instantly silenced the crowd, who were stirred up by what they thought was a miracle. The old woman slowly found a seat for herself and her wrinkled face inspected the young boy.

Uneased, Midoriya waited out of respect. The gravity that the elder brought along with her was suffocating and he could not wait to get out of the bed. Eventually, she spoke. "You managed to pull the sword out, I see…" He had only noticed that the sword was hanging behind him and that half the gaze that he had felt were actually directed at the strange weapon behind him.

He turned too and inspected the sword. There was nothing wrong with it, but he did not find anything that marked the extraordinary power it seemed to have.

"We were tasked with guarding the sword twenty years ago… The sword was never meant to be moved until the legendary hero returns…"

The sword gleamed brilliantly and Midoriya could almost hear a whisper, _don't you want to bring me outside of this village?_

 _Absolutely…_

"What if I return the sword to him?" Midoriya suggested, his chest pounded in excitement as his breaths drew more intensely. _This has to be it, I have to do this._

* * *

Hopefully you have enjoyed this. The story would roughly follow the fantasy play put on, but I would love to hear from you guys on what you would like to see!


	2. Promised You a Miracle

_Hey guys, here's the second chapter! Hope you're enjoying this and I would love to hear from you!_

* * *

 _Come on, Ochaco…_

Rocks floated around Uraraka as if she was the centre of the universe. Every so often, a rock would fall out of the place and a frown would appear on her face. She had been practising for hours today and had improved massively, lifting double the amount and spinning them twice as fast.

Air magic is the most temperamental, surprisingly. It channels from the very soul of the user – the magic reacts violently to emotions and a bad day could leave you without its blessing. Air magic users, like Uraraka, were taught to be calm like the wind that they wielded, but she found herself on edge today and the magic seemed to react favourably to it.

Memories of the encounter with the thieves flashed in her mind. The creeping image of their twisted fingers and menacing gaze haunted her. She could remember how heavily they breathed as they drew closer that day. Their hands almost grabbed the sole of her foot before Midoriya saved them with a miracle.

The wind picked up around her. The rocks rotated around her slim body even faster as the pauses between her breaths shortened. As the pebbles built up speed, Uraraka darted her eyes around for a target and launched the deadly bones of nature at the boulder resting on the hill.

After a series of loud clashes against the rocks, Uraraka boosted herself towards the boulder with her staff and she mapped the cracks with her hand. Utterly pleased with the results, she closed her eyes again and channelled the air to seep into the cracks. Seconds later, her body tensed and the boulder exploded, reflecting the pieces off the air shield created by Uraraka.

As the final pieces of the debris fell to the grass, Uraraka dropped and laid on her back. She hung her staff above her head. A delicate piece of ancient equipment that the village sorcerer entrusted her with it. Despite the rumoured age of the staff, the jewel encrusted on top of the wooden staff shone true and seemed to share the same glow it did from the day it was forged. The staff was decorated with faded paint that was gradually peeling off at the grip, but Uraraka could imagine how regal it would have looked with its purple and gold coating.

The staff stood a head taller than Uraraka was. A mysterious chiming sound rings every time she performs magic, as if the staff itself resonates in joy. She had thought of creating a new staff to fix the jewel to, but she had gotten used to old stick and had left a groove engraved where her hand would be.

She had known how to manipulate the air since she was a child. While the other children played with toy sword and little figures, she would be creating air blasts that annoyed her parents to no end. They would frequently find little holes in the walls that their darling little girl would have made while they had turned their heads around.

By the time she turned nine, the village sorcerer had taken her in on account of her parents no longer able to repair the gaping holes in the walls. Her unique talent had brought attention to herself and many believed that she would eventually leave the village to pursue a greater education in the kingdom.

Not that she would mind, the Uraraka family had been in trouble lately, since the village had reached maximum capacity and the need of builder had decreased to almost nil. But an education anywhere outside of the village would cost a fortune and she simply could not do that to her parents.

 _Why does everything feel different?_

A week ago, she would have considered her life perfect. Loved by friends and family, the village seemed to be the world to her. Yet, the life-threatening encounter shined a light on her – there was so much more that she did not know about the world. Her throat tightened and she struggled to rid the thought that if she stayed in the village with the people she had grown up with and the parents that raised her, she would never explore all the unsung potential of the world.

Evidently, as a fourteen-year-old, she knew little of the world, but clearly, her head was filled with hopes and possibility. Few had left the village before, but few were trained apprentice of a sorcerer, who, while old, was once a reputed lord of magic that had retired into a quiet life.

Uraraka knew that the premature plan was just the start of a journey and she had to give it more thought before she could even bring it up with her parents. She would want support, and the face of a certain green-haired boy popped up to mind.

With a few small jumps assisted by her magic, she made it to Midoriya's house before the sunset. She knocked on the door with her staff and adjusted her robe and hat. Mrs. Midoriya opened the door up and the plump woman gave out a relieved smile.

"Oh, thank heavens it's you, Ochaco! I was worried that the village elders were back again to poke Izuku," she added as she was shovelling an extra chair to the dining table. "I am serving up dinner so I do hope you're staying for some lasagne." She was evidently excited to have guest as she almost sang out the last few words.

"I would love to. Is Midoriya in his room?"

"I think Izuku is out the backdoor. Something about wanting to watch the sunset," she sighed as she set a bowl of sauce on the table, "you would think that the boy will take a break after all this. Thank goodness he's fine."

Uraraka was surprised when the woman reached up to her and held her hands tight around Uraraka's. "How are you doing, dear? I can't imagine how terrible you all felt." Her hands were so soft pressing against Uraraka's. Uraraka found it difficult to stare her in the eyes and she looked dryly at the floor.

That was when she found drips of water on her hand. Mrs. Midoriya sobbed as she continued, "When the elders came, he said he wanted to go out to the kingdom." Her voice seemed to be trembling even more. "I can't let him go… We don't know the first thing about anything outside of the village. What if he gets caught by the bandits? What if he never comes back?"

Uraraka instantly wrapped her arms around her and she gently pat her back as she waited for the sobbing to stop. "It is a dream come true for him… The village is too small a place for him. Izuku is so smart and willing. Maybe he deserves an adventure outside of her world."

"No, he needs to be somewhere safe… I can't lose my boy. He dreams so much. People don't treat that nicely out there…" She looked squarely at Uraraka, her eyes pink from exhaustion.

"What if I go with him?"

…

"What?"

"I could look out for him. I am tough and I know how to use magic. Izuku and I can look after one another."

…

"You're wonderful, Ochaco… But I can't depend on you to take care of my son, when he can be safe here. He can dream here. He doesn't have to face what's outside…"

"You can't shelter him like this!"

A motherly instinct seemed to have been triggered inside her, and her lips curled unpleasantly. "I can't risk him… He is my only responsibility left in the world…" As quickly as the anger entered her, it was swiftly replaced by fear again. "Only one left…"

Uraraka dropped her wand and quickly hopped to her side to support her waning figure. "I am sorry, Mrs Midoriya… I will… I will make sure he stays with you."

"But didn't you both want to leave?"

She could almost feel the regret as she spat out her words, "No… My parents can't afford it anyways… It's a dream for later…"

"You promise?"

"Yeah… But now," she tried to flash her most comforting smile, "let's have that dinner you were talking about."

Dinner was awfully quiet and uneventful; everyone gulped down their food pretty quickly. The salty red sauce seemed to have nothing but salt in it. A rare mishap in the mother's cooking, but no one wanted to point it out. Ochaco peeked at her table mates. Mrs Midoriya seemed to have recomposed herself and was now eating delicately. You could tell by her constant frowns that she knew that she had left too much salt in the dish.

Izuku, on the other hand, had barely touched his food. His green hair dipped forward and covered his eyes. He played around with his lasagne and challenged it with his fork, but even that eventually lost its excitement. He would only respond with grunts and impatience tapping on the table.

Guilt ridden, Uraraka emptied her plate. She excused herself briefly as she felt that a discussion was coming along, and she knew she wanted no part in it.

"I can't stay here forever, mum. I want to get out there and see the world," he begrudgingly spoke for the first time tonight, "the sword is a sign."

"This isn't some fairy tale story you pull from a book, Izuku… You have no money, no connections… Who is going to help you out there?" His mother's arms swung frantically as she spoke.

"I know what I did in the cave, mum. It was a fairy tale miracle! I have never felt so in control before. For once in my life, I wasn't the pebble on the side of the road that people overlook."

He paused briefly. "I can matter."

"Izuku…" He couldn't tell if the words were coming from his mother anymore, she, whose face had never been so pale, could barely resist trembling. "You matter to me." Finishing her sentence, she rushed out of the room, passing the eavesdropping dinner guest.

Walking into a room of broken atmosphere, Uraraka found Izuku sitting limply with his back against the wall. He held in his hands the sword. _Creepy to have brought it with him to dinner_ , she thought.

"It's funny… I thought I could wave this around for her after dinner and show her the bright light…" he said as he rubbed the corner of his eyes lightly, "I thought she would be convinced that I was meant for a life more than simple farming."

"You are," Uraraka affirmed, "I know it, Iida knows it. Your mother… She knows it too."

"How would you know," he chuckled, forgetting about his mishap, "you're hardly my mother?"

"Instinct," she joked, relieved as the mood lifted. "Maybe we can talk to her together later."

"Yeah. Maybe."

As if the timing couldn't be more inappropriate, the village alarm sounded and it was as if hundreds of trumpets blared at the same time. Responding to the sound, the west of the village burst into flames. Midoriya and Uraraka rushed to the window to find the cause, and was astounded to see a horde of armed men, each riding fiercely black steads and had covered themselves with pelts of all kind.

Midoriya gripped the handle of the sword that he never let go of and rushed to the door. Uraraka held his arm tightly and stopped him. "Are you sure about this? There are a lot more of them than there were back in the cave."

Surprisingly calm, Midoriya yanked his arm free. "We have to, there's nothing else we can do."

"What if we run?"

"They are on horseback. With the fire behind them, they will be able to spot us instantly."

Uraraka swallowed her fears and put up a brave face. "Do you think my parents are safe?"

"They are on the opposite side of the village, if we intercept them and hold the bandits down for long enough, maybe they will be out of reach with a head start," he said.

Sensing her doubts, he continued. "The village guards will be there by now, we can just support them. I promise you," his hand now returned the favour and held on to hers, "I will protect you."

Startled by the stark change in him, Uraraka was dazed by the confidence for a moment, but freed her hand a moment later. She firmly pressed her hat down. "Let's go."

From upstairs, the woman watched as the two figures escaped into the grounds. Her hand pressed softly against the window and she could feel her heart tearing itself apart. She knew the boy would rush in head first. Perhaps she could find it in herself to be proud if he ever returns, but with a scrimmage like this, she doubted her chance of finding her son whole.

Her legs gave out and she folded herself and let out sobs of anguish as the flame on the field continued to consume everything in its path.

Amidst the smoke and ash, Midoriya could barely keep his own eyes open. The intense heat drowned the houses to his left and he could feel them closer by the moment. Uraraka naturally released air blasts to try and blow away the flaming debris, but the lifeless force mocked her efforts.

He unsheathed his sword and held it across his chest. The chattering around the corner attracted him and he made a bold dash and was just about to slash the unfortunate victim before him.

Two metal swords clashed and let out an uncharacteristically clean sound. Midoriya instantly relaxed as Iida lifted his oversized helmet and smiled weakly.

"I have found someone here," he shouted to the group of armoured knights not too far away from him. Midoriya recognised the decorated armour of the leading knight and knew it was Iida's older brother.

Without a doubt, the man shed his helmet and revealed a familiar face. The brothers bore remarkable similarity. It's more than likely that after a few years, Iida will grow to be just as tall and striking as his older brother, and will finally be able to fit into the lofty responsibility and armour.

His eyes were marked with a black coating, but you could not miss the exhaustion that pulsated from his entire being. His armguards lost its silvery coating and his sword was barely holding itself together.

"Where did you guys come from?" Even in this state of emergency, Midoriya did not miss the concern in his voice. "It's a firestorm out here… The scouts said they spotted the bandits coming in and rumour has it that they brought a fire magic caster." He gritted his teeth as a wave of laughter invaded the area.

"They are coming." He turned to Uraraka, who was terribly out of place, but exactly where she was needed at the same time. "Can you blast the fire that way?"

Uraraka's eyes followed his finger and she nodded. A moment later, everyone was in stance and ready. Assured, she lifted her staff high above her head and closed her eyes. Concentrated, she slammed her wand against the ground and directed a strong current of air to blow apart the fiery wall.

As if they were waiting for this moment, the horses all glared hungrily at them. The men riding them looked even hungrier. Brandishing their swords and knives, the men and their watering mouths halted and parted for a cloaked figure to come forth. Not missing the cleaver dragging behind him, Midoriya watched intently as the man walked closer.

Laughter radiated from him and as the laughter grew stronger, a loud bang set the cloak alight. He seemed to be taking joy in the shock and confusion that pervaded their faces. The fire burnt swiftly and eventually left behind only bits of the cloak. He dusted the pieces off his body, that was remarkably unstained. His muscular body twitched as he lifted his head of blonde hair. A devilish glare, he only seized his laughing to inspect his foes.

"It's the boy king." Midoriya could hear Iida's brother whispering under his breath.

There was nothing regal about him. In fact, he growled and snarled like an animal, pacing left and right, bearing his teeth. The necklaces he wore rattled as he waved his cleaver around. Too much attention on that, however, and you would miss the sparks coming off his hands.

Without a word, a blast came from his hand and he propelled himself forward with immense speed. He swung his cleaver at Midoriya, who was standing quite far apart from the others. Barely left with time to react, Midoriya drew up his sword.

Before the attack could connect, the cleaver was squarely interrupted by an invisible cushion of some sort that seemed to have taken hold of the cleaver and it wouldn't go any further. The cleaver was inches away from Midoriya's face, and it frightened him to no end. His apprehension of danger could barely keep up with the situation and he hoped backwards as the air shield provided by Uraraka dissipated.

Enraged, the savage growled aloud, "WHO DID THAT?" He looked around menacingly and spotted Uraraka in her sorceress equipment. Displeased that his quick strike did not land, he signalled his men forward and, as if their chains were loosened at last, made the most incredible dash for the villagers.

There were barely thirty able men to begin with in the village who knew how to swing a sword. And few had already been dispatched by the bandits when the attack was launched. Even with a sorceress at their side, it was easy to tell that confidence was lacking.

Yet Iida's brother collected his calm and commanded a formation to protect Uraraka. The weapons clashed as the skirmish began. Midoriya could barely see what was going on around him. The bandits fought without honour or tactics. They seemed to only know to challenge anything closest to them that moved.

Despite the number disadvantage, the knights were able to hold down due to the formation. Pure strength couldn't penetrate the expert defences. Midoriya, who was kept in the middle with Uraraka, however, could only keep his eyes on the red-eyed king, whose arms were crossed as he watched with a smile.

In a war of attrition, the knights would normally hold out. However, these were knights who had spent the last hour performing search and rescue. The little strength left in them was disappearing with each sword hammering down on their shields. Uraraka couldn't even find a moment to concentrate, let along creating an advantage with her magic.

Midoriya turned to Uraraka and whispered, "Can you throw me at him?"

Uraraka could barely hold down her voice, "ARE YOU INSANE?"

"I don't think we can last for any longer…"

"Are you absolutely sure? This is your life on the line."

"This is all of our lives on the line," He swallowed nervously.

She sighed and relented. Maybe because of the way he was or maybe because the heat was getting to her head, she agreed. She lowered herself, advising Midoriya to do the same, and with the jewel-end towards the ground, summoned a whirl of wind that launched Midoriya up into the air.

With his sword held in both hands, Midoriya dived at him. The weight of the sword pulled him down and he couldn't help but grin as the sword was only centimetres away from his head.

"Idiot," he said as he dropped his cleaver and put his two hands together above his head.

Midoriya watched as the sparks in his hands ignited and blasted Midoriya off course. He crashed metres away from his target. He grunted as he tried to stand up, but the bandit king knew better and quickly slammed his foot on Midoriya's sword hand.

"Argh!"

"You little bastard! Did you think that stupid plan is going to work?" He aimed his hand at Midoriya's forehead. "Say bye bye to your stupid brain."

"IZUKU!" Uraraka flew out from the formation and Iida commanded as loudly as he could, for the knights to break apart and charge at the exposed enemy.

"Ya basta…" Before he could finish, a fist of air marked him and he let go of Midoriya and stepped back. The sudden jab disorientated him and he emptied his stomach content. He could barely stay standing up when the green hair boy once again stood up.

"You will… bow to me!" Positioning his hands in front of him again, the boy shakily took aim. The images in front of him blurred and he launched a weak blast just as the enemy took his stance and swung his sword.

In a matter of seconds, his red blasts were extinguished by a golden giant who released a wave of energy that was yards more powerful than anything the sorceress girl had done. He bit his lips in disbelief and rage as he couldn't stand anymore. The giant had neutralised them, and the once-proud king kneeled in front of his enemy.

He could feel a sword by his neck as his hands were chained by the few knights, who a moment ago were still at his mercy. The knights slammed his entire body onto the ground and, with his voice muffled, he growled and demanded to know Midoriya's name.

"Midoriya. Izuku Midoriya."

"Midoriya… I am Katsuki Bakugo, the King of the Bandits. And I swear," mixed with rage, disgust and hurt pride, he no longer looked as if he wanted to laugh, "I will kill you."

…

"TAKE ALL OF THEM AWAY!" Iida's brother commanded as Midoriya realised that the scattered thieves were all cuffed.

"Both of you have done a great job today. Thank you."

Both Uraraka and Midoriya could hardly remain standing and they quickly fell to their exhaustion. They lied down and faced each other in content. They grinned stupidly at each other as the last of the fire was put out. Neither of them noticed the reopened wounds on Midoriya's arms.


	3. Leaving Home Ain't Easy

Hey! Really sorry about the short chapter, I have been really busy down here and updates will probably be a little bit slow coming up until December. Apologies but I hope you're enjoying the story!

* * *

"Silence! Silence!" The village elder slammed his glass against the wooden bench and looked over a buzzling town hall. Some were restless and excitedly guessed the reason for the meeting today. Others who were injured in the invasion were quietly resting.

The elder stroked his lengthy beard and waited as the hall settled down. He cleared his throat with considerable effort and unrolled a parchment with the agenda for today.

"I am pleased to report that the town repair is happening as we speak. The young men from the Kingdom had been working hard with the resources thy brought. We are also blessed only to have injuries from the attack a week ago, nothing more disastrous."

"Now, we move on to recognise the effort of a few people last week that undoubtedly saved us from further tragedies. Captain Iida!"

Midoriya, who was sitting at the bench closest to the elder, watched as Iida's older brother walked up in his formal garment, which had multiple medals attached to it. He clapped along with the rest of the hall and watched as the man swiftly took a stand with a parchment of his own.

"Special commandment for Izuku and Ochaco tonight for playing the crucial part in defeating the bandit head." He smiled at the two who were sitting together nearby. "I am sure most of us have heard about the golden giant that vanquished the invaders. It was indeed produced by the sword that Izuku found. I am hereby, commanded by the Kingdom herself, to send Izuku to the mainland, to investigate the sword and also to act as witness in the trial against the Boy King."

"He was taken away half a week ago, and I am sure they would be ready for the trial in less than a month. Izuku will need to leave as soon as possible. He will be given the full support from the village and we wish him luck." He rolled up his scroll and walked down from the elevated stage and purposely towards Midoriya and gave him a confident pat on the back.

The rest of the meeting continued in a blur for Midoriya. He did not know whether he should be celebrating or not. The start that he always wanted was upon him and all he needs to do was to go home and pack.

 _You will leave today at noon_ , said the village elder.

But what would his mother say? She had already tried to stop him once. She was remarkably silent for the past week, there had barely been any conversation besides the questions of concern about those bleeding arms of his that had since been bandaged. He pondered on his entire way home.

He pushed open the door and found his mother sitting in the kitchen area with a backpack in front of her. He watched cautiously as she turned to speak to him.

"I have packed your things… You have enough supplies for a week, and you will need to work it out on your own after that."

Stunned, Midoriya could barely bring himself to inspect the bag. A brown cloth backpack with two hardy straps. He could see patches of different colour sewed on, evidently, he won't be the only one who had used this bag.

"This is your father's… Back when he used to adventure as well. That's how we met, you know?"

For the first time, Midoriya learnt of a man he barely knew.

"We met in another village where I grew up and I married into this place… He used to go on exploration trips every so and so… Even when you were a baby… It's tough for a mother to take care of her child alone, but he always said that the adventure would make you proud and you would love the stories."

Her voice weakened as she continued, "One day, he just stopped coming back…"

"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.

"No one knew what happened to him. He just vanished… No one knew if he had died, or had ran away…" She lifted her head, and her eyes were red with lament, "Maybe I nagged too much… Izuku… I need you here too… But I think, someone else out there needs you more."

Midoriya silently wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the side of him that his mother had laid her head on was soaking up her tears. He didn't mind and sat there with her for a good five minutes. Neither of them wanted to speak.

Adventures are every little child's dream. No one ever properly took a count of how many adventurers survive till their late lives. Midoriya knew very well that this could be the last time he was in the village, in his mother's embrace. As such, he silently enjoyed its warmth.

Soon, the village bell struck twelve. Midoriya remarked how likely it was that the church and its bell survived the wild destruction of the attack. Some villagers guessed that the work of gods was involved, other assumed that even the Boy King had to bend his knee to some deities out there and wouldn't dare to disturb them in their sleep. All of them did agree though, that it was a blessing to see the two-hundred-year-old surviving yet another catastrophe.

"Well…" he patted lightly on his mother's back, "I guess I am off."

"Please take care… Izuku… no matter what happens, mum will always love you."

"I love you too mum."

At the village gates where a crowd of people had gathered, Midoriya watched for the first time as villagers who never knew of him before would gift him with marvellous goods and supplies. He had never been a hero before, and even if he wasn't feeling a hero's welcome, he sure would not mind experiencing this again.

After the long line of people waiting was Iida and his brother, each brandishing their armour and swords. Iida smiled confidently and welcomed Midoriya. He announced his voluntary addition to the adventure and hoped Izuku wouldn't mind.

"I am going to deliver you to the kingdom, and I will return with the squad that was sent ahead with the bandit king."

As always, Iida's enthusiasm has driven Midoriya to forget his words, and, judging by the end result, he had agreed to the party expansion.

Whilst the Iida brothers were striking his shoulders mercilessly as they happily chatted, Midoriya allowed his eyes to wander around the crowd. He didn't even realise that he was looking for a very specific brown-haired girl before he was held down by disappointment.

"Midoriya?" Iida nudged him gently and woke him from his daze.

"Sorry. Was just taking a moment to think."

Midoriya took a breath in and stepped out of the gates. For the first time, the view outside of the village was not the dream anymore. It was his reality to explore. He grinned as the grass before him seemed to stretch endlessly and the winds all chimed welcome to him.

"Where do you want to go first?"

Midoriya smiled.

"I have waited too long for this, I want to go everywhere."

"Can I join you?"

Uraraka appeared from the shadows as the village gates were no longer populated. She was dressed in her sorceress robes and had a heavy backpack strapped on as well. She looked guilty and her eyes couldn't stop darting back in the direction of the village. She could barely keep her head up.

"I would love to have you… But… What's wrong?"

"My parents won't let me come… I ran away…" She muttered as she kicked up some dirt. "Can we leave… I don't want them to realise."

Midoriya looked across to Iida, who was just as stunned as he was. Midoriya realised he had to make a decision quick, and an impactful decision it would be.

"I don't know if it's okay to have you tag alone without your parents knowing…"

Uraraka had a fierce look about her and she reminded Midoriya, "I would let you run away with me anytime."

Stammered, he couldn't help but to give up. He shrugged and dusted his hands. "Let's go then."

"Brilliant," she regained her characteristic smile and she tapped him on the shoulders as she dashed past him. "We should really run… I didn't leave much of a notice."

Iida burst into laughter and he picked up his bags and ran after the two, leaving behind a village, dimly lit by the torches.


	4. Smoke and Fire

Hey! Quick update of the week. Again, can't promise timely updates, but hopefully I can get these chapters out on time. Enjoy!

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"Let the strength flow from your back, Midoriya. Get that back straightened up… And then swing the sword."

Midoriya carefully followed the instructions. He held his breath in as he swung at the air. He gave it another go and did not stop until he could feel the sweat gathering at his brows.

"Iida, why are you training him to use a normal sword?" Uraraka, who was sitting by the campfire, asked. "Surely getting him to use that sword would be better." She glanced over to the sheathed sword that leaned against Midoriya's backpack.

"It hurts him every time he uses it… And he can't rely on miracles like the sword forever," he said. "We know next to nothing of the real world out here. The village is a story of its own. We need to rely as much as we can on ourselves."

Uraraka nodded along and watched as Midoriya brushed the sweat off his brows. The sun hung high in the sky. They had been out for almost half a week now. Being village kids, they knew how to survive in the woods. Hunting wasn't a problem either, not with Midoriya's little plans.

Catching fish was not too much of a challenge. Luring wild chickens was filling. But all three of them longed for a proper meal and knew that eating burnt meat over an open fire could not satisfy them for long.

Thankfully, with the maps and the kingdom being largely in sight, the trio had covered a good distance up to now. They knew that they had barely scratched the surface of what the woods really could offer however. The trees were nowhere as dense as the stories that travellers told at the inn at the village.

They spoke of forests of such population that sun rays never peaked through. They told tales of bizarre animals that would not hesitate to attack people on sight. Lastly, they warned of the queen that sat on the top of the food chain. Shuddering stories as they may be, Midoriya never missed a drunken tale from a traveller since the day he knew to imagine.

Not long after Midoriya had had enough training for the day and packed up, the travellers reached the edge between two forests. An ominous wind blew at them. Each of them took a step forward as one and they charged towards the dark.

The stories were not wrong and shortly after noon, the three had to share a torch between them to stop stepping over branches and falling over. They travelled in a line so as to fit through all the tight gaps between trees and they jumped in fear whenever a twig snapped far behind them.

None of them shared a word amongst them. Even breathing seemed excessive at this state. The dark shadows cast upon them by the hulking trees sucked out the courage and left all three treading so carefully.

Instinct warned Uraraka moments before a monstrous being grabbed hold of her pack and lifted her up into the air. She had managed to struggle out of its grasp and held her wand across her front. The two boys guarded themselves as well.

While holding the torch in front of himself, Midoriya inspected the creature carefully. A creature covered in dark fur stood on its hindlegs. It unleashed a hulking presence that dwarfed even Iida, who was the tallest of the group. It seemed to be a mix of an ape and a boar, brandishing tusks that, if they were as sharp as they looked, could easily impale Iida's armour.

With the agility of an ape, it launched itself at the group, flinging the backpack away. Uraraka recovered from the sudden shock before and wielded the air to form a shield, holding the beast at bay for long enough as the three dashed away.

Iida, always brave, tested his sword against the monster's hide. It punctures the skin, but with half of Iida's strength, could only leave behind a light wound. It agitated the beast to no end, however, as it started yelping and screaming, while charging madly as them. Its arms thrashing about, shifting dirt and branches.

It dug its bite at Midoriya, who was fortunately quick enough to fling the torch down his throat instead, before making his way to safety. He watched as the animal struggled in pain as the burning sensation reached from inside to out. The fire evidently remained long enough to burn the throat. It gargled as the burnt throat had left him incapable of completing a scream.

It continued to cough, and once the remains of the torch were coughed out, it begrudgingly glared at the three, the sharp claws on its hand shuffled menacingly.

 _It's not over… It's barely begun._ The three shared the same thought as they readied themselves again. The size of the ape had left no room for they to manoeuvre around. The beast's thrashing about had broken down enough trees to create the only open space the forest had, in which they are trapped.

Midoriya, educated in stories of these beasts, knew that the beast did not shout only to intimidate. If they do not escape the area soon enough, they will find an army of apes, ready to split them into pieces.

Thankfully, its attention was on Iida at the moment, who had enough skills to fend off the sharp slashes. The battle simply cannot be one of attrition. Iida lost strength each time he blocked a heavy blow, which the beast seemed to have unlimited.

Midoriya quickly reached to Uraraka, "Do you think you can suck the air out from it?"

"What do you mean?" Uraraka whispered.

"I don't care what it looks like, surely it needs to breath… If you suck out enough, the thing will faint for long enough."

Uraraka tapped her wand in acknowledgement and she aimed her wand delicately at the intertwining figures. She aimed carefully and began to concentrate.

"Iida! Move away!" Midoriya shouted for his attention, but not for the air trap from Uraraka. He had noticed another monster that had been drawn by the chaos.

A salamander-like beast with small legs, it perched on a fallen tree trunk like a dog who had just learned to rest on his back legs. Its curiosity had brought him to the spot as its pupil-less white eyes followed the duelling duo. It had not noticed Uraraka and Midoriya, who had both by now tightly covered their lips.

It watched the two waltz across the field and let out a low-pitched growling sound. Midoriya had just noticed the frill folded against its thick neck, pulsating as the creature breathed. He remembered being told once of what the queen looked like – the surviving adventurer from years ago, who could barely hold his voice, described the beast to the listening crowd.

 _The queen crawled its way to us. It watched us the entire time we were in that jungle. A pitch-black mass, she didn't look threatening at all. But then she made its way to us. It picked off us one by one. Levi was the first to go… Poor lad… But that was by no means the worst part._

…

 _Not the fact that she had raw strength over us. Not the fact that she was deceptively fast. But the fact that she was smart. She couldn't break through Han's armour, so she cracked him inside it like an egg… She snapped Levi's wand instantly and just chomped his body into half right after._

 _And I swear, the beast breathed fire. I couldn't see it clearly with the dust in my eyes and my back to the slaughter… Yeah I ran… You would be a hell of a fool not to… But she cooked them. She lit their bodies on fire and I could tell that she was cooking them with a purpose… I turned around for the last time, and I saw her munching on a crispy burnt mess._

Midoriya could recall how teary the man was after finishing the story. The entire night concluded with the man insanely yelping apologies and begging for forgiveness. Days later, the man had died in his sleep.

Heading back to the present, the ape had suppressed Iida and left him stunned, lying on the ground. As Iida struggled to lift himself up, his foe had its fists swung up high, ready to strike.

Her black scales glowed blood red as smoke came out of her mouth, the queen blew out her cheeks and aimed. Her frills now fully unfolded and threatening.

"Iida!" Midoriya screamed at the top of his lungs, risking the monster above discovering him. Iida turned and spotted the crimson fireball spiralling its way towards them. He immediately rolled away and the ape suffered the brunt of the projectile.

Its skin was set on fire and it yelped in pain. It rolled on the dirt, trying to extinguish his burning fur, but in vain. It ran away with its hands trying to pat down the fire away. Even after it had escaped, its long wailing could still be heard.

Iida sat on the ground, breathing heavily, but in relief. Danger was far from over, and she was quick to remind him of that.

The salamander climbed down from the trunk slowly, but she moved in such a way that the adventurers knew that she could easily reached them if she had not wanted to play with her prey. Her limber body coiled as she sat still to stare at Iida. Her eyes blinked curiously, perhaps wondering if her unusual looking prey had a shell on or not.

Maybe she had decided that it mattered not, as her cheeks bloated out again and Iida responded and jumped to the side. The fireball glued itself onto the dirt and burned.

Midoriya and Uraraka ran to Iida's side. Midoriya commented with misplaced excitement, "Did you see how the fire glued itself to the ground? I think this is the queen that the men talked about in the inn!" He quickly fell into silence when the two glared at him.

He looked at Uraraka and said, "Do you think you can try to knock it out with magic?" Finding an affirmation from Uraraka, he dragged his sword and walked slowly away from the two. He made sure to drag the sword on the ground and made a chanting sound that mesmerised the monster.

He knew that Uraraka would need a long time to build up a spell to take down an opponent of this magnitude. He and Iida would have to be able to distract the queen for long enough.

The proud queen of the forest once again assumed her unoffending stance and tilted her head.

Uraraka knelt on the ground and concentrated once more. The wand's gem glowed as the air around her seemed to have changed tune.

Midoriya could tell that the beast sensed danger coming from Uraraka. She bore an unexpected set of sharp teeth, saliva leaking out from the corners of her mouth and she dashed with unbelievable speed. Taunting her opponents, she chomped her teeth comically.

With her eyes sealed tight, Uraraka had no idea what was going on at the moment. Her chants continued furiously as words escaped from her mouth faster than the air coming in. Her cheeks were bright red and her hair parted in all directions.

In this situation where it was impossible to make a decision driven by logic, Midoriya could only rely on his instincts, and it told him to body slam the beast. While not a heavy weight at all, his run up and managed to give him the boost he needed to send the raging machine off course.

The queen was evidently furious as her teeth sunk deep into the ground instead of her intended snack. She found trouble pulling herself out as her tiny limbs were not made to counteract the poor decision her head had gotten her into. She wailed as the struggle continued. All the while, the trio regrouped, with Uraraka in the centre, still as a rock.

The knight-in-training tried to cut down the beast, but would only proceed to find his sword blunted by the unexpectedly tough coat of scales.

Before he could attempt a stabbing motion, she had already pulled herself out. Enraged, her black beady eyes had turned blood red with the rest of her obsidian black body was glowing red – you could tell the threatening flame bursts about to come.

Midoriya picked up on it and he continued to distract his foe with empty sword swings. The salamander ignored him, attention returned once again to Iida. It was frustrated before and decided to instead return to shooting from a distance, taking advantage of being the faster corner.

Blasts of fire attached themselves to the forest around Iida. They moved slowly, almost as if magma spilled and was advancing slowly to burn its victims. Knowing that she had trapped Iida, the salamander slithered its way towards and towered Iida, its teeth bearing once again.

What she had failed to notice was Midoriya, who, realising that blunt force was his only option, had climbed up to the tree with his sword on his back. He quietly prayed for favour. He had to watch as Iida was surrounded on four sides, the monster playing with her food, chomped falsely at his legs, narrowing missing on purpose.

Iida, who was almost hugging his legs, cowered with no feasible option. His vision had tunnelled and he could not tell that Midoriya was planning a rescue. Even so, he never let go of his sword and he still swung it in front of him.

Flame covered her mouth and she was ready to toast her victim when Midoriya launched himself and slammed the monster's mouth shut with the handle of his sword. The flame went down its throat. Completely unexpected, the royal was left stunned for a moment. But she would not go down without a final trick.

Midoriya pulled Iida out of his predicament and witnessed the flame coating that had been put on by the salamander. Midoriya despaired as he found himself and Iida square before the monster.

"GET DOWN!" At the most appropriate time, Uraraka had finished her chant and her wand summoned a powerful twister that extinguished the flame coat and sent the beast into the forest.

The three shared a moment of silence before Midoriya lifted Uraraka up. "That was brilliant."

"Thank you," she said.

Iida limped towards the two and grabbed Midoriya's shoulder in excitement, "Should we kill it?"

Watching her, now so helpless and her legs twitching, Midoriya redrew from the proposition, "It's fine…" He instead caught sight of the small marking underneath the beast's chin. It was red in colour and vaguely resembled a flame. "What's this?"

"That's… a blessing…" Uraraka inspected the sign. "I never knew anything besides people can have blessings…" She fell into silence, absorbed in her thoughts.

As Midoriya chased her with questions, Iida stared at the sword that Midoriya carried in his hand. He could tell that it was not the sword that he had pulled from the cave. It must be a simple iron sword. What he could not comprehend was the fact that he caught a glimpse of the same glow radiated by the iron sword as he jumped down at the salamander.

He knew he was not mistaken. The golden glow of a miracle was not something that you simply forget. He played with the thought in his mind for a moment, before he left it behind and hurried out of the forest with his companions.


	5. Freak of Nature

Hi! Huge apology for not updating the story recently, been really busy, but hopefully I can make up for it!

In the meantime, please enjoy the new update!

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"IT HAD A HEAD THIS BIG, I SWEAR!" Midoriya struggled with his arm to describe the size of the beast that had threatened his life merely hours ago. His arms flew wildly to try to illustrate the round head of the queen.

As Uraraka had explained to them on their way to the main city from the forest, only humans have been known to be blessed. It seemed really concerning that the physically advantaged monsters could be even more threatening. _Someone needed to know_ , Midoriya thought.

They had come to the office outside of the main castle the very next day after they had settled into an inn. They were expecting someone to pass this discovery on before they could be caught unaware.

The officer, sitting in his booth, merely snorted in disbelief and scribbled a few words down on his parchment. He glanced at the duo standing not too far from them and asked, "Are they with you as well?"

Midoriya seized his fruitless effort to describe the threatening size of the beast to him and nodded. His eyes refused to leave the skeletal features of the officer's face in the meantime. The man seemed tired and absolutely uninterested in what Midoriya was telling him. Even without his constant glance at the clock behind Midoriya, the three could tell that this was going to be a short discussion.

Rubbing his sunken eyes, the officer let out a quiet, but audible, groan. "Look, blessings are only meant for humans. There is no evidence that animals can have them as well. Now stop wasting my time and move on. Otherwise, I will place you with the city guards and see what they will do with you annoying kids."

Any distain from Midoriya had to be kept sealed in him, but you could tell from his pouting lips that he had much to say. As soon as the trio left the building, Midoriya let loose a shout so loud that the nearby horses were all intimidated and began gnawing at their ropes nervously.

"Can you believe him?"

Uraraka shrugged and Iida looked perplexed. They had been awake for less than fifteen minutes and they had already caught the attention of the City Office. Iida, being the logical one, tried to brush off the tension.

"It's not easy to overthrow common knowledge just because someone said so… We really didn't bring any evidence with us."

"We are just kids, and we are not even city kids, which makes us even less credible," Uraraka added, "maybe we should just follow our original plan and report to the King first."

"After some breakfast first, I hope," Iida noted, as his stomach complained and caused a mild flush of colour to his face.

"Right… Sorry, I should slow down a bit." He tried to put away his displeasure and followed the other two to the main road that was bustling with people selling and buying, some heading to work, some already at work.

The busy town provided a sharp contrast to what Midoriya and the others were comfortable with. There was not a single moment for these people to wander and stare off in a distance. Roads were rough and merciless as the three were nearly ran over just as they arrived past the gates yesterday.

No one seemed to have the time or heart to stop and greet one another. In fact, people tried actively to stay out of one another's way. Iida swore that he saw a man being thrown out from a store by men who were clearly unhappy with the way the poor man dressed. That was something that would have never happened back home.

The three quietly shared their appreciation of how welcoming the village seemed, even Midoriya, who, for most of the time, felt alone, could not help feeling blessed with attention, compared to the city people.

They were on their way to this small store when all of a sudden, the streets vibrated with claps and cheers. The people all seemed to know where they were heading and raced towards one direction collectively and abandoned whatever they were doing. Some donned a cheerful red cap over their heads and some pulled up a small banner and hung it to whichever pole they can find.

Midoriya would swear that he was dreaming to see the same bustling people, willing to drop everything in one go. Sharing a look, the three curiously followed. It was no mere task, as the three of them constantly ran into someone and had more than once nearly had they backpacks pulled off them. The cheers grew louder as they approached the edge of the crowd; Uraraka was barely standing on her feet anymore, and felt as if she was supported instead by the hundreds of people that were packed around her.

A mass of people had gathered around the end of the main street. They have agreed to leave a grand space in front of them, but leaving absolutely no space otherwise. The three checked and could see nothing in the middle and were just about to share their confusion when a sharply dressed man with purple hair and a clown mask came out of nowhere and marched to the centre of attention.

He placed a small cube on the solid pavement and the crowd watched as the small box in the centre buzzed and exploded. The cube was replaced by bars of metal and they began to rearrange themselves spontaneously and connected together to form the frame of a tent. The structure stood multiple floors high and at the top was a flagpole.

In a blink of an eye, someone had climbed to the top and covered the skeleton of the tent up with beautiful fabrics that pictured monsters of all kinds: a shadowy bird, a mass of limbs and more. Midoriya watched as the fabrics rolled down and were tired to nearby posts and more performers flooded out from the inside of the tent, even though he did not catch a single glimpse of them before.

The crowd roared in excitement and it moved as a collective wave and stepped back to allow the performers to stretch. A few elbows were knocking and there were a few unfortunate shoves to the guts, but no one seemed to care. Everyone applauded as a hooded figure stepped out to the front of the tent, followed by rows of colourfully dressed performers. The crowd seemed to know exactly who it was underneath the cloak and had begun chanting in a foreign language.

The clown faced man once again stepped to the spotlight, accompanied by the cloaked figure. He slammed the end of his staff against the pavement a few times and waited for the chanting to die.

His voice boomed and everywhere within the 200 metres radius could hear him perfectly. Midoriya watched with curiosity and wondered whether it was a blessing to be able to raise one's voice like this. Certainly no one back at home would ever ignore him if he were to be able to speak like that.

"Welcome to the Atenim Circus, the premier performing travelling show that features your favourite misfits. I see you have all met Mina, our visiting friend from a faraway land, where her kind naturally exhibits the supernatural power that, in our land, only the blessed would have."

The accompanying music picked up and Midoriya watched as the cloak was tossed away, revealing a young girl dressed in an exotic tribal outfit. It resembled light hunting gear, with its one-sided breastplate that matched her leg guards and a dark cloth wrapped around her chest. The choice of colour was strange indeed, opting for pale green and purple that decorated the items of clothing.

Moments later, as the girl jumped around the stage effortlessly, Midoriya realised that the girl had rather inhuman features; her skin was a shade of pink that matched the colour of berries, with hair of a lighter pink, and she had two small horns that protruded from her head. Her eyes were jet black with yellow irises that made her eyes glow unnaturally. He managed to instantly connect her to one of the pictures on the tents, the one that featured a pink monster that seemed to be spitting fire.

She danced enthusiastically and manoeuvred her way across the limited space with unbelievable agility. It seemed almost as if she was gliding on these surfaces as she speedily performed a graceful routine.

The man, who was clearly the owner of the circus, glanced over and watched impatiently as 'Mina' finished her act and bowed, before disappearing into the tent. He cleared his throat and ceased his tapping foot and invited the crowd to listen, "Now… Many of you know and love our freaks… This time around, we are offering you more shows and closer looks at these monsters of unbelievable talents. We have shows going on over the next two weeks. Please do come along!"

The crowd cheered and clapped as the performers bowed and disappeared back into the tent, which had now taken up a sizable space on the main street and left barely any space to even walk on. The chatter died as the crowd dispersed. The flyers were left covering the ground and Uraraka picked up one from the ground. Midoriya peeked over her shoulders to read the enticing words.

 _The Most Anticipated World-Class Circus_

 _Owned and run by the Mineta Family for generations_

 _Proudly presenting the misfits of the world_

 _You want to see freaks that can talk to animals? Freaks that can grow extra arms?_

 _Performing every night after sunset, right in the middle of the town!_

"Freaks?" Uraraka seemed to have taken offence with the term. "How dare they! Those are people too!"

"But they are a bit different, aren't they? Like that Mina girl, she looked like…" Iida stopped short of finishing his sentence when he sported the dark look that Uraraka was giving him.

"For your information, she is just as much as a freak as I am."

"What do you mean?"

"She is blessed! Or cursed… Depending on where you are coming from…"

Annoyed by the perplexed looks that the two boys carried on their faces, Uraraka explained, "Remember how I told you, while we are coming to the city gates, that people can be blessed because…"

"Because of the gods who pitied the living state of mankind and wanted to give some the tools to better lives, yes, we got that," quipped Iida, "what is this about curses?"

"Well, gods don't live among us. They don't know everything there is to know about their children on earth. Most of the times, their gifts are easy to appreciate – like mine; other times, their gifts ruin the lives of the people to whom they bestowed powers."

Suddenly apprehending the implications, Midoriya voiced his disbelief, "Surely… They know they are all the same, deep down?"

Uraraka shook her head, "My master used to tell me of the injustice that surrounds people with powers. Surely you two know about the fact that the village nearly tore my family about because of how dangerous my powers could be?"

The two boys shared a look and tried to act surprised, but Uraraka easily saw through it. "No one was supposed to know, but my parents never hid the fact; they wanted me to know that my powers were heavy and I need to wield them, knowing that fact."

She continued as they slowly marched back to the inn that they were staying at, "People in the main cities were worse, or so I was told. Any physical mutations that went beyond the realm of acceptability were heavily reacted to. Orphanages boomed in the first decade after blessings were granted. Pretty soon, the people started calling those powers 'curses'."

"They were ostracised, hunted, or forced into labour – like that girl from the circus." She sneaked a peek at the reaction on the two boys' faces and was relieved that they both looked horrified.

"But… Is no one doing anything about it? Surely there are people who stand with those who are cursed?" Midoriya winced at his use of the word and tried to cover the inappropriateness by gesturing strangely.

"Only a percentage of the population is blessed, and an even lesser part of that population is considered 'cursed'. People either live their lives unaware, having been fed lies like them being a foreign tribe, or they allow the fear to take over them."

Midoriya felt lost. He had dreamed of having magnificent powers like Uraraka's more than once in his life. He was always so convinced that he would not be ordinary if he could channel the weather, or control the souls of others; yet now, he wished even harder that the 'cursed' was only a story made up.

Days ago, he would have swallowed up his insecurity and suffered in his inability, but now, with his new-found powers and company, he felt the responsibility catching up to him. He tightened the straps that held his bag to his body nervously and spoke, "Can you two help me?"

* * *

Midoriya wondered at the emptiness of the streets as he sneaked up to the rooftop of the inn. He had expected a thriving night life in the city, one that had been described to him many times before. Yet, as far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but the cold breezes of the wind to greet him. There were no gaslights by stores, no street vendors yelling invites, no children tugging their parents along.

By nightfall, the circus seemed to have sucked all the life from the city. Apart from the main castle and a few other posts around the city, Midoriya could not find another sign of life. The circus tent was busting with activity; music roared from inside and clapping and laughter leaked through the fabrics.

He had asked Iida and Uraraka to watch the show in his stead. He could not dare to condone the unjustness, even if he had only been made aware for one day. He certainly felt like he was being overly self-righteous, but his guts simply reacted violently whenever he entertained the idea of attending.

In his private time, as he waited for the show to end, Midoriya leaned against the flower pots that were left behind by the inn owner. He stroked his dark green hair back and contemplated.

 _Everything just happened so quickly._

He felt like the glass box around him had been shattered not too long ago, and the glass pieces were still falling around him. He was learning more about the world like he wanted to, but he was not enjoying what he had learned. He feared that ignorance was truly bliss and that the world would not be able to offer up this amazing adventure that he had imagined so far.

 _Next thing I know, the ground is the new sky._

He took a deep breath and loosened his body. It was a habit passed on to him by his mother. Whenever he could feel stress building up, he was always told to drop everything and breathe confidently, before allowing reality to visit him again.

Surely enough, he was calm and ready when the two returned. Clearly Uraraka was not impressed.

"Did you hear what they called him? A mute mutant? How could any human being say that about another human being?"

Iida could hardly cover up his own anger, "And did you see how they were chained? I took a quick look behind the curtains whenever someone appears for a show. They literally had collars with chains on them!"

Midoriya understood that he would not need to raise an eyebrow to get a full report of what happened.

"That man, Mineta, is pure evil," she said.

"We have to do something for them," Iida added.

"We can't rush into this… We are just three, and they are many. I can almost promise that no one would believe us either…" He suddenly remembered the officer from earlier that morning and how apathetic he was. "We need to seriously think about this."

Uraraka excited shared her thoughts, "We can stage an escape!"

"That will need really elaborate planning… Did you see how many people were working there?"

Iida counted in his head, "Almost two dozen."

"And how many 'cursed' were there?" He could not disguise how uncomfortable he was to use that word.

"Four, I think, they each head their own show. The girl from earlier today seemed to be the crowd favourite."

"What were the others like?"

"One controlled animals, one of them could use his shadow like a weapon, the girl is an acrobat, but I am not too sure if her blessing is anything more than turning her pink…"

"And the last one?"

Noting the sudden displeasure that appeared on Uraraka's face, Iida stepped in, "Uraraka wouldn't know… She stepped out early after I pointed out the scars on that poor Mina girl... She looked like she was constantly whipped…" He paused for a moment as even he found reliving the discovery painful. "The last one could grow extra limbs."

Midoriya placed his hand on Uraraka's shoulder and gently comforted her. She did not budge, but it was clear from her face that it was a disturbing experience.

"If things are as bad as you have described them… I want to help them as soon as possible."

"How?"

Midoriya could not say that he had more of a plan formed than Uraraka did, but he had to come up with something. "I say we collect more information, try to see if we can talk to the performers and get a better control of the situation."

Neither of them said a word afterwards and they swiftly returned to their rooms. Before she disappeared into hers, however, Uraraka did briefly mouth the word 'thank you' to Midoriya.

Restless as the star twinkled outside his window, Midoriya could hardly gather his thoughts. He had promised Uraraka something that he had no confidence in being able to complete.

 _I could barely keep up with what's going on…_


	6. Voice in My Head

_Who are you to these people?_

I am an entertainer.

 _Who are you_ really _to these people?_

I am a joke, a toy.

 _Good. Now, who do you want to be?_

No one. I want to be no one – people won't notice me, people won't miss me, people won't laugh at me.

 _Stupid girl. Why would they stop laughing at you? You're hideous. The only thing that's good about you is the fact that you can make a few bucks for them._

...

 _Tell me I'm wrong._

…

 _Who did I hear you crying to last night, little girl? I hear you sobbing real loud._

…

 _Tell me. Who was it? Who did you run to?_

… My mum and dad…

 _The same bunch of people who died because of the little freak they kept in their house?_

I am not a freak.

 _Really? Tell me, little bird, what are they all chanting right now?_

…

 _Can you hear them going "freak, freak, freak"? God, I wish someone screamed my name like that._

My name is not freak.

 _Really? Why don't you go tell that to someone who cares?_

…

* * *

Mina took a breath and reset her balance. She took a glimpse below and, as usual, she was standing atop a pole with no safety net below. She darted her eyes around the stage – hundreds of people, crunching popcorn, chanting loudly, none of them seemed concerned for her at all.

 _Fair enough_ , she thought as she jumped off the ledge and quickly snatched the bar that flew at her. She flawlessly flew across the airspace and landed without stumbling at the opposite side. She gracefully twirled around, as the feathery attire she wore spun with her. She stared down at the podium and the audience were enticed by her every move. It seemed like this was the only time they would pay attention to her without thinking that she was flawed.

She knew this moment very well. That is what it is – a moment. Seconds later, the crowd would be disgusted by her pink skin once again, and the magic that she produced with her life on the line would be dispelled. Her head ached as she thought of the menacing faces the adults pulled whenever she passed them in the streets. The curious, innocent faces that children bear will last until someone comes along to ruin them.

She bowed slowly and turned to take her leave. As soon as she was out of sight, she broke into a sprint and charged at her tent. Well, the tent that she shared with the other 'freaks', a tent made for two, but housed three.

"You done for the night?" She was greeted by a shadowy bird when she lifted the drape to the tent.

Not at all surprised, she took the towel that the bird brought and slowly dabbed away the sweat she had built up.

"Yeah. I think they liked me," she lied.

"Right," the bird chirped and darted out of sight.

Mina smiled weakly and moved sheepishly towards her room. Her room was sheltered off from the rest by some curtains – a privilege she earned when she was billed the star of the show a few months ago. She kicked off the bands around her ankles and pulled down her hammock. She lit the lamp that she had on the bedside box and changed.

"Mina."

"What is it?"

"Do you have a spare candle? Mezo and I used our last one an hour ago."

"Right…" She looked at the candle by her side and, after a moment of hesitation, picked it up and handed it over. "Here, my last one as well."

A little surprised, Fumikage barely held his arm out. Unsure, he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am going to sleep anyways. You guys are probably doing some reading again, right? You will need it more than I do."

He chuckled and accepted the candle in gratitude, "You know, you can always join us?"

"I would rather die than picking up a book," she joked and brushed him off.

A moment later, in pitch blackness, she laid on her hammock and gently set herself off to a small swing. As her body swayed left and right, she could feel the sleepiness setting in.

* * *

 _You're back again, aye?_

Why are you here again?

 _Consider me bored! How's my favourite little freak doing?_

Go away.

 _You know that won't work._

Will anything?

 _Tell me a story._

What?

 _Just a short story, I am a little sleepy myself, and I want something to fall asleep to._

…

 _I won't come tomorrow if you tell me a nice story._

… What kind of story do you want to hear?

 _Your story._

You know it well.

 _Doesn't matter. I like hearing you say it_.

Fine…

As far as what a little girl can have, the young girl had everything – pretty clothes, little gems on her shoes, and more importantly, a family who would do anything for her. Looking back, she was happy. Hanging laundry out with mother would earn her a hug, preparing a meal with father would give her dessert.

 _But she wasn't satisfied?_

No, she was not.

 _What did she want?_

She wanted a blessing. The neighbouring children started receiving gifts from the gods, and the little girl, foolish and greedy as she was, thought that she deserved one the most.

She begged and begged the stars that someone would deliver her her wish. She would make outrageous demands at her parents, and thresh about when they could not find her one. In her young mind, her parents had failed her for the first time. She hated it.

One night, she was sitting on her doorsteps and sulked. She sulked until an elderly woman, clad in a glamorous red cloak with golden pattern, came to her.

"Hello?" she called out, curious to have never seen the woman in the little village before.

"Hello, my little dear," the old woman spoke, her voice harsh and dramatic. "What are you doing here?"

Enamoured by the strangeness the woman brought about, the young girl could not hold it in her, and she broke out with questions. "Are you a witch? Do you bless people? What are you doing here?"

The old woman chuckled, not at all surprised to find the little one so curious. "My my my… You ask a few questions, don't you?" Her eyes gleamed and she took out a brown wooden stick from under her cloak, "Yes… I am a witch… I hear you have been wishing for a blessing?"

Attention captured, the woman continued. "You see, I am able to grant blessings… but I have lost my medallion… You see, it's very important to me."

Small as she was, the little girl was quick to pick up hints. She screamed in joy and jumped up and down to volunteer herself on the small expedition that the witch revealed to her.

"I will go tell mum and dad, then I will be on my way!"

"Oh no," the witch stopped her, "your parents will only stop you from doing it. You know… from what I can tell, it seems like your parents don't want you to get a blessing at all!"

"Why would they not want me to?" The little girl was confused, and on the urge of tearing up from hearing this upsetting news.

"They are scared of what it means… To have a perfect daughter. A lot of people just can't handle that."

"Well, they will have to when I come back!"

"Exactly!"

And with that, the girl shot off to the not-too-distanced forest.

 _What was she doing there?_

She was to find a small shrine by the pond. A medallion rested on it and the witch wanted it back.

 _It wasn't hers though, was it?_

No. By the time the little girl had found out, it was too late. When she handed over the medallion, so proud she was, a spark of lightning lashed out at the ground behind her. And in an instance, a gorgeous being was standing behind her. Tall and sparkling, the woman was breath-taking.

The little girl could feel her knees weakening in wish to bow to the magnificent creature. She imagined that her voice would equal the most magnificent music on earth. How wrong she was, for the goddess was angry. Angry that the medallion sacrificed to her had been stolen by an agent of evil.

Her voice boomed and threatened to shatter the little girl's eardrums. "You dare to steal from me?"

In a moment, she realised that the anger wasn't directed at her, but at the old woman, who could not contain herself and was crackling, barely holding herself up.

"Mother… You have to agree… That was a good prank I managed to pull."

"You think this is funny?"

 _It was._

The goddess clapped, and the old woman instantly transformed from her guise into the form of a boy with horns. "Geires… You have challenged my authority too often… There will be punishment for you, my son, when we return home, that is."

The boy, still unable to hold in his laughter, pointed at the little girl, "What about this one here? She played a good part in this."

"Oh yes… A greedy little one… She will get exactly what she deserves."

 _Oh, I love this part._

The two deities surrounded the girl and they chanted together. A moment later, the air around her swallowed her whole as it turned green, then pink, and finally, purple.

 _And what did it do to her?_

The little girl no longer had her soft pale skin and vibrant dark hair. Instead, she crawled out of the vortex with disgusting pink hair and skin. Horns protruded from her forehead and her spits burned the grass they landed on.

 _What did she become, tell me!_

She was… she was a freak… She had then taken the form that reflected her true self.

 _Next?_

She ran home, hiding from the daylight. When she had returned, her parents were shocked – but their kindness could not be mistaken. They quickly hid her and took care of her of her trauma. They sought out doctors and wizards, hoping for someone to cure the ailment. The girl never explained to them what caused it all, for she was too ashamed to admit that she had done everything out of spite. And so, she listened to her parents and she hid.

 _Oh, but she didn't hide well enough!_

She woke up to a loud singing outside her house. She peeked through the hole in her wall. She was ten, and she was fascinated by the banging drums and ringing bells. She walked towards the noise in the dead of night.

There, she found a bell that rung the clearest of sounds. She picked it up, but the moment she did, the men in the camp rose and surrounded her. They accused her of theft, until they discovered her deformity, then they accused her of witchcraft, that she had plans to curse them in their sleep.

Her parents ran to her rescue, but it was not enough. The townsfolks saw the little girl for the first time since she was cursed, and they were horrified. They had thought that the parents had brought the monster to earth, and that they must be monsters themselves. They agreed with the travellers and allowed them to keep the girl. Her parents were sent away to work for the damages they have caused.

 _An unjust end, for sure._

Yes. They were innocent. There was no wrong that they had committed. Perhaps they erred in allowing such an ungrateful child be born. They should not have paid for her sins. The last she had heard, before she was sold to the travelling circus, they had been trapped in a workcamp, working nights and days, never ending.

 _Maybe they are dead._

If it meant that she would never have to face them again, and that they can escape the unfairness she brought about, perhaps that is for the best.

* * *

 _I do like it when you are angry like this._

Have you heard enough? You had enough fun yet, Geires?

 _Well, just as much fun as I can have._

…

 _Hey, don't be angry at me. I am a victim too! Mother was so angry with me that she trapped me here!_

In my godforsaken head?

 _Yes! Now you understand!_

Does this mean you're not anywhere else, that you only exist in my head?

 _Yes!_

… Good… No one else has to suffer.

 _No one? You are mistaken, my poor child. Your head is my play space. Your mind is my property. Your feelings are my dessert! You will never have another day of freedom!_

You are not going back on your promise, are you?

 _Promise? You don't get to dictate the terms, girl! I own you. Until the day you die!_

…

 _What fun we'll have!_

* * *

"Mina! Mina! Wake up!"

"Huh…?"

"You've been screaming…" She watched as her friends passed a glass of water to her.

"It's him again."

"The head demon again?"

"Yeah..."

Mina did not need to see the exchange of looks between the two to know that they were uncomfortably helpless. "Everything alright this morning?"

"Yeah, things are pretty normal… Boss did say to look out for this green haired kid though. Apparently, he's ben sneaking around the camp for a bit now. Might be a thief." Meza cracked his knuckles, as if in anticipation of a beat down.

"Nah, can't be," Mina postured, "I have seen him around. He is too sloppy to be a thief… I will deal with him if I see him again."

"Great. Um… You can go back to sleep then." The two awkwardly excused themselves from her side of the tent.

She finished the glass of water and closed her eyes.

As much as she hated him, she would not deny the sense of familiarity the god brought. Even if their existences were hideously intertwined, she would forever be able to rely on his company.

 _Oh you're back… What should we talk about this time?_


End file.
